


One day my prince will come

by georgieP



Series: Ink Prints [6]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Chatting & Messaging, Park Jisung (NCT) is Whipped, Romance, Slice of Life, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Zhong Chen Le is Whipped, but like puppy love, but not enough to confuse you if you haven't read it, but you should absolutely read them, chat fic but only for 1 chapter, its cute, its mostly just chenle and jisung, references to Neko_ryn's fics, the other's are barely in this, they're figuring things out, they're in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:35:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28439217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/georgieP/pseuds/georgieP
Summary: Chenle had always been a hopeless romantic. He loved the idea of soulmates, he loved the idea that there was someone out there who would always understand him. He would spend hours fantasizing about magical adventures and princes from far off lands. Even when he grew old enough to differentiate between fiction novels and the real world, he kept up hope that he would one day get his own love story. And late at night he would dream of a bright smile and dancing across the floor in the arms of his own prince.
Relationships: Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Series: Ink Prints [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1091922
Comments: 12
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Korean  
>  _Mandarin_

Chenle was a well loved child. He had parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, a brother, cousins. His life was full of people who loved and doted over him from the day he was born. It was for this reason that Chenle couldn't even remember when his tattoo first appeared. It had simply always been there. It was a source of pride for Chenle, something he could look at when he was sad to remind him of how many people cared about him. A reminder that he would never truly be alone.

Chenle was, at his core, a hopeless romantic. Soulmates, platonic or romantic, was something that had always felt magical to him. He would spend hours as a child watching the little hamster run up and down his bare arms, twisting and twirling in it's path as though it was dancing. The hamster seemed to especially love to sit on his hand, especially when he was practicing his piano, and Chenle liked to think the little tattoo was watching him, remembering every song for when they would finally meet. Some nights Chenle would lie awake in bed, fantasizing about a handsome prince destined to be his who would sweep him up for some grand adventure in far off lands.

That was one thing Chenle had always been certain of. Always a prince, never a princess. Chenle's grandma liked to say that prophecy ran through their family's blood; Chenle's brother liked to think that Chenle was just very stubborn. Chenle himself liked to think that his hamster told him so. He couldn't explain it, but sometimes he could hear a small voice whispering in his dreams, right beside his ear.

* * *

_"Mama!"_ Chenle called out from where he lay on one of the two queen sized beds that took up the majority of the hotel room, _"I'm going to go buy snacks."_

His mother's voice answered him from where she was drying her hair in the bathroom. _"Will you be alright Lele? They'll only speak Korean to you so you'll have to do everything on your own."_

Chenle scowled. At thirteen years old he was headstrong and independent and had absolute full confidence in his ability to do everything. Of course he could buy chips for himself at the corner store! Besides, it was barely a block away and all Chenle would have to do was give the cashier the right amount of money. It would be easy and Chenle told his mom as much.

_"Alright then,"_ She said, the amusement in her voice lost on her son, _"But make sure you go straight there and back ok? We don't want you getting lost."_

Grinning , Chenle dashed out the door, calling out his reassurances over his shoulder. As he had said, the corner store was only a block down from their hotel and in less than ten minutes Chenle was picking out bags of chips in the snack isle. 

He spent a few minutes looking over the selection, sounding out the foreign names on his tongue. In the end Chenle opted to try out a few different brands he couldn't get in China; After all wasn't that the point of travelling? He had just grabbed his choices and was about to turn towards the candy section when something slammed into him from the side.

Chenle found his breath knocked out of him as he landed hard on his butt, chips going flying in his instinctive effort to break his fall. In the end all he really succeeded in doing was twist his wrist and embarrass himself further by yelping in a very grown up manor.

And now, there he lay, surrounded by probably crushed chip bags and nursing a throbbing wrist in the middle of a corner store in who-knows-where Korea. Excellent. Chenle had half the mind to yell at his assailant, but then he realized no one would understand him anyways. Regardless, he opened his eyes fully prepared to at the very least glare threateningly at his attacker.

And immediately Chenle looked into the eyes of the cutest boy he had ever seen.

The first thing he noticed were the boy's wide eyes darting back and forth between Chenle and the scattered snacks across the hallway. The second thing he noticed was the boy's lips pulled down into a pout that had Chenle's heart constricting because wow that was _cute_. Distantly, Chenle registered that those adorable heart shaped lips were moving which meant that cute boy was now talking and Chenle should really be paying attention.

A hand entered his field of view, and Chenle looked up to see cute boy, who's cheeks had taken on a gentle pink hue as he became more flustered, extending a hand to help him up. Chenle accepted the hand gratefully and allowed himself to be pulled back up onto his feet, all the while continuing to study the blush that was rapidly spreading to the tips of cute boys ears. He was so focused on watching this fascinating change of colour, in fact, that he didn't realize that cute boy was still holding his hand. Nor did he realize that cute boy was now staring directly _at_ their still enclosed hands.

It wasn't until a good minute later, neither of them having made any effort to move or say anything, that Chenle registered that they were still holding hands and look down. ' _Cute boy's hand was very big'_ , Chenle thought. He was interrupted from that train of thought by the realization that his tattoo, the small hamster that spent so much of it's time circling his hand and wrist, was now dancing happily around a small bird on cute boy's hand. He watched as the two animals circled each other, skipping across their entwined fingers as they went.

_'Oh',_ he thought, ' _this boy was his soulmate'._ And then, a second later, ' _Cute boy was his soulmate'._

After the initial shock had worn off, Chenle looked up again to find cute boy still staring at their hands. He wondered briefly if the boy had a reboot button, since he had by now been frozen for at least a few minutes.

"Uh," Chenle wracked his brain for the very limited Korean vocabulary his dad had drilled into his head on their flight over, "hello?"

The boy didn’t seem to hear him, so Chenle went with his next available option, which was to wave his hand in front of the boy's face and hope that maybe his eyes were more functional than his ears right now. This seemed to work, as cute boy immediately jumped and turned to stare at Chenle with owlish eyes. Chenle let out a snort at the sight and hid a grin behind his hand.

Still smiling, Chenle tugged on the hand that was still attached to his own. Cute boy jumped again and quickly let go, tucking his hand behind his back and muttering what Chenle assumed was an apology. Chenle pouted, already missing the warmth of the boy's hand. He had only intended to bring attention to the fact that they were obviously soulmates. Oh well, he figured he would be getting lots of chances to hold cute boy's hand in his life. He should probably stop calling him cute boy though.

Smiling again, Chenle pointed at himself with his newly freed hand and carefully pronounced his name. Cute boy continued to stare at him, blinking. Chenle faltered, but didn't let his smile fall as he repeated his name again, slower this time to allow the other time to process what was being said. After a minute, cute boy opened his mouth and repeated Chenle's name.

Chenle couldn't help the giggle that escaped his lips at the way cute boy said his name. He was obviously trying hard to pronounce it properly, but the vowels were just different enough that it was obviously foreign on his tongue. Chenle thought it sounded perfect.

After his encouraging nod, cute boy repeated the name to himself again, as if to be sure he'd remember it later. He then pointed to himself.

"Park Jisung," cute boy, Jisung, said. Like Chenle he had made sure to pronounce it clearly, and Chenle tried to mimic him in his attempt. He must have done well, because Jisung's face lit up when he sounded out the syllables. Seemingly encouraged by his response, Jisung began to say something else, only to falter when he saw Chenle's face fall.

Using all of his very limited Korean skills and a few well placed hand gestures, Chenle tried to convey to Jisung that he was from China and therefor couldn't understand Korean. He must have gotten his message across well enough because Jisung pulled his backpack around and began rummaging through it. After a minute of searching the boy pulled out a notebook and pen. Opening it to the back, he scribbled something onto one of the pages before ripping it out and shoving it into Chenle's hands.

On the paper Chenle could read the name 'Park Jisung' written in english characters. Underneath was a series of korean hangul that Chenle guessed was also Jisung's name. Beneath both of those was what looked like a kakaoTalk ID. This assumption was confirmed when a second later Jisung held up his phone with the kakaoTalk app opened on it. Chenle watched as Jisung held his phone in front of him, head tilted to one side in question and that cute pout still on his lips. Chenle nodded, grinning at the other boy's actions before snatching up the notebook to write his own name and contact information in it.

While he was writing out his own kakaoTalk ID, Chenle noticed a series of equations written on the next page. They looked familiar, and Chenle thought he had maybe used them in school in the last year or so. As he ripped out the page with his information on it, Chenle held up the equations to show Jisung.

"You're…. Student?" He felt a little silly speaking with such improper grammar, but what else was he supposed to do? His Korean lessons had consisted of a single hour long session on a plane before his dad had decided he wanted a nap and he was doing the best he could. Luckily Jisung seemed to understand him and held up a finger.

"High school?" Chenle asked in english, not being sure of the korean word.

Jisung shook his head, hesitating before replying in accented english. "No… middle school?"

_'First year of middle school then'_ , Chenle thought. That meant Jisung was a year younger than him. He told the boy as much by holding up two fingers and pointing at himself.

Jisung nodded, trying out the name 'Chenle-hyung' on his lips (which Chenle totally did not watch). Suddenly, Jisung seemed to realize that they were still standing in the isle of a corner store where the staff were most likely wondering why they were taking so long. More importantly, Jisung seemed to realize that the sun had long since set outside, and it was well into evening.

Looking at his phone, Jisung made a distressed noise before reopening the kakaoTalk app and typing something quickly. He held out the phone for Chenle again, and Chenle could see that he had pulled up the chinese boy's account. Nodding, Chenle pressed the 'send friend request' button himself before Jisung pulled the phone back. Jisung shoved the phone in his pocket as he began zipping up his backpack and saying something rapidly in korean. Chenle made out the words "late" and "home" so he figured the other boy was in a hurry, likely his parents would be wondering where he was. Chenle hoped he wouldn't be in trouble for being out so late.

All he could do was nod and send Jisung a smile, which the korean boy returned with his own bright grin as he rushed out the doors. It caught Chenle by surprise, and he realized that it was the first time Jisung had smiled through that entire interaction.

Chenle had thought his pout was cute, but seeing that brief flash of a smile made Chenle feel suddenly like he had been staring at the sun for a second too long. Blinking rapidly, Chenle forced himself back into the present. He was standing in the isle of a corner store in who-knows-where korea, surrounded by chip bags and snack, and he was…

Holding Jisung's math notebook and pen.

Well then, Chenle would just have to figure out a way to give it back to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung's POV of the previous chapter!

Jisung was a well loved child. He had happy family, an older brother who treated him well, and an extended family he saw often during the holidays. He got his tattoo on his fifth birthday, younger than most people get their but certainly not the youngest. Jisung was an early riser when he was child. This had been established when he was still a baby and demanded to be fed at 6am sharp, something his parents were not overly happy about. This meant that, at five years old, Jisung still woke before his parents on most days. That was why it was such a surprise for him to wake up on his birthday and find his mother already in the kitchen, her hair dishevelled and sleep still heavy on her face as she sat Jisung at the kitchen table and presented him with a strawberry vanilla cake, freshly frosted and five candles lit on top.

Jisung, as much as a five year old boy can be, was speechless. His mother, despite her obvious exhaustion, was grinning at him with such raw love in her eyes that he felt himself tear up. The thought of her waking up hours earlier in order to prepare this cake for him filled Jisung with such warmth and comfort that he felt it was going to burn out through his skin. T wasn't until later that day that Jisung's father pointed out the small bird resting on his collarbone.

Jisung quickly came to love his tattoo. He enjoyed watching the bird, who he had identified as a species of parrot, climb up to sit on his shoulder or curl up on his neck, just below his left ear. He loved the security of knowing that his soulmate would always be there, that there was someone who would be able to love him no matter what. And yet even with how Jisung felt, he had a hard time imagining himself actually being with someone. His parent's told him that it was natural for him to have a hard time picturing himself with someone. He was still young after all, but Jisung wasn't so sure. He'd never even had a crush before! So how was he supposed to know what kind of person he wanted to be with. Hell, Jisung didn't even know what gender he was hoping for. His parent's reassured him with this too, explaining that soulmates didn't have to be romantic, and that if Jisung ended up not wanting a relationship a platonic soulmate would be no less important and fulfilling. That, at least, made Jisung feel a little better. The comfort of knowing that no matter who his soulmate turned out to be, there was always the option of at least starting as friends.

* * *

Jisung hurried down the sidewalk, his backpack slapping against his thigh where it had slipped off his shoulder. His mom was always at him to wear it properly, but right now Jisung had other problems. Like being late, and hungry.

Mostly hungry.

Dance practice had ended almost two hours ago, and as usual, Jisung had stayed late at the studio to practice. That was normal. Jisung always lingered a half hour or more running through whatever routine the teacher had taught that day. Sometimes he'd practice his freestyle or choreograph something for himself. It was normal for him. What wasn't normal was him accidentally staying for a whole two hours extra, a half hour _after_ his curfew, definitely after dinner time.

So here he was, racing through the streets on his way to the bus stop at 9:26pm. Jisung was honestly surprised his phone hadn't blown up with calls and texts yet. His parent's probably got distracted with a movie or something, but that certainly didn't mean they wouldn't notice eventually. He only wished he hadn't missed supper.

A neon sign caught Jisung's eye's as he skidded to a stop in front of the bus stop. A corner store, windows lit up in a beckoning display of junk food and soda cans, made Jisung's mouth water. He hadn't eaten anything since the rice ball he'd gotten from his friend Jeno after school and just the thought of a custard bun or cheese dog made his mouth water.

Glancing at his phone, Jisung noted that he had a whole 20 minutes until his bus came. More than enough time to grab a snack. Besides, he was _starving_.

Not giving himself a chance to change his mind, Jisung skipped through the doors of his neon oasis and made straight for the deli section at the back. A sandwich sounded amazing right now, or a corn dog, or even another rice ball.

Lost in his fantasies of food, Jisung skidded around a corner only to find someone blocking his path. Immediately he jerked his body backwards, trying to reverse his momentum to avoid crashing into the person who had suddenly appeared before him. Unfortunately, while Jisung was certainly a dancer and held all the grace and poise needed on stage, off stage he had not yet grown into his gangly limbs. As such, instead of safely stepping backwards away from his impending collision, Jisung tripped over his own foot and tipped forward. Directly _at_ his impending collision.

The resulting crash sent the other person tumbling to the ground, their snacks flying every which way, and Jisung found himself just barely catching himself from falling on top of the other's body. As it was, Jisung landed on his hands and knees in the isle of the corner store, chip bags strewn around his legs, and a complete stranger flat out on their back next to him.

As quickly as he could, Jisung scrambled back onto his feet. He could already feel a blush rising on his cheeks at the mortification of what had happened. _God why couldn't he just look where he was going like a normal person?_ Fighting down the urge to find a ditch and crawl into it, Jisung turned to whoever he had knocked down.

And promptly came face to face with an angel.

Now, Jisung wasn't one to fall in love easily. Hell he'd never even had a crush before, and he had certainly never believed in love at first sight. But not even he could deny that the boy in front of him was pretty. No, not pretty. This boy with light brown hair and a peach coloured hoodie was beautiful. If not for the fact that he could feel his heart beating a little too fast in his throat Jisung could have believed he had somehow knocked himself right to heaven.

Shaking his head, Jisung cleared his throat and reached out a hand to help the boy up.

"I'm so sorry! I should have been watching where I was going!" After a moment where he seemed to be regaining his bearings, the angel reached out and took Jisung's hand, allowing the boy to help him to his feet.

Apologizing again, Jisung found himself staring resolutely at their clasped hands. Too nervous to meet the angels eyes and face whatever anger or annoyance might be there. ' _He has small hands',_ Jisung noticed. That was about as far as his thought process got, however, when it was abruptly derailed.

Jisung watched in awe as the African grey parrot he was so used to seeing soaring across his collarbones flew in circles around a little ink hamster. They almost looked as if they were dancing together. A complex series of swoops and skips interwoven in perfect time.

Jisung wasn't sure how long he stared at his hands before he realized the angel was trying to get his attention. Looking up again, Jisung found the most bright sparkly eyes he had ever seen. Just as he was about to start staring, again, the angel gave a small tug on Jisung's hand. His hand which, he realized, was still gripping at the angel's.

Jumping backwards, Jisung felt himself flush an even brighter red and wrung his hands behind his back. His continued mortification was forgotten, however, when a moment later the angel smiled. Jisung felt his breath catch in his throat and he suddenly realized that there was a very good reason he had never had a crush before. No one else could have ever compared to the boy in front of him.

Belatedly, Jisung realized that the angel was speaking again. The other boy repeated himself, pointing to himself as he did so, and Jisung realized it was probably his name. It didn't sound very korean, so Jisung tried his best to say it properly. He didn't think he did a very good job, but the angel smiled again, so it couldn't have been that bad. He was so lost in the warmth brought on by the angel's smile that it took a moment for Jisung to realize he should probably say his name as well.

Copying the angel, Jisung pointed to himself and sounded out his name. After hearing the angel repeat it back to him, Jisung nodded.

"Um, do you live around here? Or are you visiting…" Jisung trailed off, watching as the angel, Chenle's, smile faded. ' _Oh no,'_ Jisung thought, ' _what did I do??'_

Before he could panic though, Chenle spoke up. In halting, hesitant Korean, the other boy explained that he was visiting from China and couldn't understand Korean. Well, that complicated things. Jisung frowned, wondering what to do now. It was times like these where Jisung wished real life conversations could have a google translate option like texting.

_Ah!_

Pulling his backpack off, Jisung dug through his homework and workbooks to find a mostly blank notebook. He never really took notes in math anyways. Pulling out the neglected school book, Jisung found a pen at the bottom of his backpack and scribbled something onto a page. Jisung figured, if they couldn't talk without a translator, then they would bring the conversation to where there was one.

_'But wait'_ , Jisung realized, _'you can't just presume everyone has KakaoTalk.'_ Mentally scolding himself, jisung pulled his phone from his back pocket and opened up the app, turning it to show the chat screen to Chenle. Thankfully, Chenle nodded and pulled up the same app on his own phone. For once, it looked as though Jisung's plan would work.

Ripping out his name and Kakao ID, Jisung handed it to Chenle. In the next second, he was passing his pen and notebook over to the Chinese boy who wrote down his own name and Kakao ID before passing the torn out page to Jisung. Once they both had the other's contact information, Chenle held up Jisung's notebook open to a page scribbled with formula's and incorrect equations.

"You're… student?" Chenle asked, a light pink dusting his cheeks as he tripped over his words. Jisung realized he probably wanted to know his age, that was probably pretty important. Going along with the school question, Jisung nodded and held up one finger to indicate he was in his first year. After a moment's hesitation the Chinese boy continued in English.

"High school?"

Jisung shook his head. Man if Chenle thought he was in high school… Jisung was pretty sure the baby fat on his cheeks would have given him away. Trying to remember the English term for it, Jisung explained that he was in middle school. After another moment, Chenle smiled again and held up two fingers. Chenle was older than him then.

_'Chenle-hyung,'_ Jisung sounded out under his breath. He wasn't exactly sure if honourifics were still a thing considering they were soulmates, but he liked the way it sounded. As he was thinking this over, the clock on his phone screen caught Jisung's eye and felt all the panic from earlier come back.

It was 9:47pm. Exactly three minutes before his bus was scheduled to drive past the, Jisung checked, empty bus stop. Frantically, Jisung opened his phone back up to KakaoTalk and typed in Chenle's ID which was, thankfully, in English characters. Clicking on the top result, Jisung held his phone out for Chenle to confirm. Chenle looked a little taken aback by this sudden action, but nodded and pressed the 'friend' button on the screen.

"I'm really sorry but I have to go!" Jisung shoved his phone back into his pocket and slung his backpack, still wide open, over his shoulder, "I'm really late and my parent's are going to be so mad but I promise I'll message as soon as I get home!"

Chenle's eye's were wide, and Jisung doubted he had understood most of that, but he nodded and gave Jisung a smile. Jisung grinned back, his adrenalin rush pushing his happiness into euphoria as he turned and rushed out the doors. He made it to the bus stop just as his bus rounded the corner.

It wasn't until he was unlocking his apartment door that Jisung realized he had forgotten his notebook. Well, he'd just have to find a way to get it back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I now I said wednesday but T_T I worked until 11:30pm yesterday and it sucked so I'm a bit later. Next week should still be wednesday though! Anyways this chapter is dedicated to neko_ryn because not only are they the person who first came up with the ink prints universe but yesterday was their bday and I want nothing but good things for them this coming year <333 I love you Riza <333333


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of conversations between Jisung and Chenle over the years. 
> 
> This chapter is mostly just filler and meant to give some context between their first meeting and the last chapter. Bonus points if you can tell which conversation happened during Neko_ryn's fic "Finding the way back home"!
> 
> Korean
> 
> _Mandarin_

Zhong Chenle (22:18)

Hello Jisung ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

Park Jisung (22:30)

Hello (o´∀`o)

Sorry my parent's were talking to me

Zhong Chenle (22:33)

That's ok! I hope you didn't get in trouble for getting home late?

Park Jisung (22:34)

It's fine. Your Korean is really good?

Zhong Chenle (22:38)

That's because my dad is translating for me kekeke o(≧▽≦)o

He say's thank you

He's a businessman and works in Korea a lot so~

Park Jisung (22:40)

That's really cool! And helpful

Zhong Chenle (22:45)

Yup!

Btw, did you forget something?

Park Jisung (22:46)

Ah right, my math notebook…

Zhong Chenle (22:50)

Kekekeke

We're in Seoul for the next five days. Maybe we could find a time for me to give it back?

Park Jisung (22:52)

!!!

If you're comfortable with it, maybe I could show you some places? And I think my parent's want to meet you too…

Zhong Chenle (22:56)

My dad has meeting's most days and my mom want's to go shopping everyday please save me

Dad says he'll talk with my mom and see when would be good to have dinner with your parents?

Park Jisung (22:57)

Awesome! I'll tell my parent's tomorrow morning

(´ ∀ ` *)

Zhong Chenle (23:01)

Ok~

My dad say's he's going to sleep so I guess I'll say goodnight now

(╥﹏╥)  
  
---  
  
Park jisung (23:02)

Ah… I should go to sleep too… I have school tomorrow

Goodnight! I'm sorry again for knocking you over today

Zhong Chenle (23:04)

Kekeke it's ok. It was definitely a memorable meeting!

Night night~

(ﾉ´ з `)ノ  
  
---  
  
* * *

Jisung Pwark (18:26)

Chenleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Eeee

Ee

E

Chenle Zhong (18:32)

I'm here I'm here yikes

What's up?

Jisung Pwark (18:33)

How was your day?

Chenle Zhong (18:36)

That's it?????

Jisung Pwark (18:36)

~(>_<~)

Chenle Zhong (18:37)

ヽ( ￣д￣)ノ  
  
---  
  
It was fine

We did swimming in gym class that was fun

Not much else happened

Jisung Pwark (18:40)

Oooooooohhhh

I wish we could do swimming

My school doesn't have a pool

Chenle Zhong (18:42)

That sucks, swimming is the best unit

How was your day?

Jisung Pwark (18:46)

It was ok (´-ω-`)

Chenle Zhong (18:47)

What's wrong?

Jisung Pwark (18:49)

If you're busy I don't want to bother you…

But can you help me with my mandarin homework?

Chenle Zhong (18:51)

Only if you help me with me Korean homework after

Adverbs are hard….

Jisung Pwark (18:52)

Deal!

Ok tell me if this is right

_Today I went to school and then walked home_

* * *

Big head (10:02)

Does 3pm work for you?

Poopy hands (10:04)

Yup! Dance end's at 1 next Saturday

Big head (10:05)

Perfect ヽ(o＾▽＾o)ノ

Piano ends at noon for me

Poopy hands (10:05)

What movie did you want to watch again?

Big head (10:06)

Kiki's delivery service!

I still can't believe the only Ghibli movie you've watched is Ponyo

Poopy hands (10:07)

Hey!

It's a good movie!

Big head (10:09)

It is!

But how is that the only ghibli film you've seen??

Poopy hands (10:10)

┐('～`;)┌

But oh well, this just means that now I get to watch them all with you!

Big head (10:12)

…… I guess

Saturday at 3 then? I'll get the movie ready

Poopy hands (10:13)

_It's a date~_

Big head (10:14)

All the mandarin in the world and that's what you choose to learn?

Poopy hands (10:15)

┐('～`;)┌

* * *

Big head (12:43)

Jisung Paaaarrrrrrrrkkkkkk

Poopy hands (12:54)

_Chenle Zhooooooonngggg_

Big head (12:55)

Oh! Are we doing mandarin today!

_Hello~_

Poopy hands (12:57)

_I need practice_

Big head (12:59)

_Practice is always good!_

_But your mandarin is already pretty good_

_Especially since you've only been learning for 8 months_

Poopy hands (13:05)

_Uh_

_Thank you_

_I think? I hope that was a compliment?_

Big head (13:06)

Kekekeke

It was don't worry~

Poopy hands (13:06)

Ah, thank you then

How is your korean already so fluent

( ╥ω╥ )

Big head (13:07)

What can I say

I'm a genius <(￣︶￣)>

Poopy hands (13:08)

(ーー;)

* * *

Jisung-ah (16:53)

Chenleeeeeeeeeeeee

Can you help me with my math homework?

Chenle-hyung (16:58)

We don't even have the same curriculum how would I help?

Jisung-ah (16:59)

You're smart

And a year ahead of me

So you've probably already done this stuff

Please Jeno-hyung said if I fail the next test I can't be in the end of term performance for dance club o(〒﹏〒)o

Chenle-hyung (17:02)

Ok ok I'll help

On one condition

Jisung-ah (17:03)

??

Chenle-hyung (17:03)

I get videos of the performance

Jisung-ah (17:05)

Eeehhhhhhhhhhh

Why

Chenle-hyung (17:06)

Because you NEVER let me see you dance

I wanna seeeeeee

(｡•́︿•̀｡)  
  
---  
  
Chenle-hyung (17:15)

Jisung?

Jisung-ah (17:18)

You really want to see me dance?

Chenle-hyung (17:20)

Yes!!!!!!!

You practice like all the time theres no way you're Not amazing

Jisung-ah (17:21)

Ahhh I'm really not that amazing

Chenle-hyung (17:21)

Lies and slander!

Jisung-ah (17:24)

Fiiiiiine

I'll have one of the other's film the show for me

But I want a video of you singing in return

Chenle-hyung (17:25)

I'm literally helping you pass math

And you still ask for more?

I'm kidding tho I'll send a video next time I learn a new song (ﾉ´ з `)ノ

Jisung-ah (17:26)

♡＼(￣▽￣)／

* * *

Parrot (11:23)

I've watched it 16 times already I love it

Hamster (11:26)

I only sent you the video yesterday???

And don't text during class (・`ω´・)

Parrot (11:27)

You're texting too

And yes I know and it is amazing

You're an amazing dancer Jisung

Hamster (11:30)

Aahhhhhhhh stop ittttt

If I blush in class the teacher will realize and take away my phone

Is that what you want?

To not be able to talk to me for the rest of the day???

Parrot (11:32)

Nooooooooo

I'll stop

Don't leave (╥﹏╥)

Hamster (11:35)

Hehe

Cute

We're still on for tonight?

Parrot (11:35)

Of course!

I would never miss date night!!!!

Hamster (11:38)

(￣ε￣＠)

I'll call at 5?

Parrot (11:39)

Sound's perfect ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

* * *

Sungie <3 (21:34)

I don't even want to go tomorrow (＃￣ω￣)

Lele <3 (21:36)

They can't be that bad

Sungie <3 (21:37)

They most definitely can

Be that bad

Like I am the youngest in the group

I am supposed to be the one who needs love advice

How are they all so hopeless

And not just jaemin and jeno

Hyuk is just as bad with his ~issue~

Lele <3 (21:39)

Yikes =///

Have any of them tried

Idk

Talking to each other???

Sungie <3 (21:43)

No

No they have not

Siiiiiggghhhhhhhhhhh

Wish me luck tomorrow

Lele <3 (21:45)

Want me to call you so you have an excuse to leave for a few minutes?

Sungie <3 (21:46)

Please

* * *

Lele <3 (02:06)

But what if I'm making a mistake

Sungie <3 (02:12)

Lele it's 2am

Go to sleep

Lele <3 (02:12)

I can't im panicking!

What if I'm making the wrong choice!!

Sungie <3 (02:15)

You're not

I promise

Besides even if you do end up not liking vocal

You can just switch?

You're literally a genius lele no matter what you choose you'll be good at it

Don't worry too much

Lele <3 (02:18)

You're sure?

Sungie <3 (02:18)

Positive

_I believe in you_

Now go to sleep <3

Lele <3 (02:19)

Ok <333

Thank you <33

Sorry for waking you up ( ; ω ; )

Sungie <3 (02:23)

It's ok

I love you <3

Lele <3 (02:24)

Love you too <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A back and forth of Chenle and Jisung's relationship over the course of Chenle's last year of high school. 
> 
> This chapter switches between Jisung and Chenle's POV's. I tried to be as clear as possible who's POV I'm writing from but I apologize if it gets confusing.
> 
> Korean  
>  _Mandarin_

Chenle groaned before pushing the papers scattered across his desk off to one side. He had been going over them for hours now, and he couldn't help but feel like he was doing something wrong. Page after page of information and options and choices and Chenle felt like he was at war with himself. Why were there so many options! One of his hand's made it's way into his already tousled hair as Chenle attempted to shake his self-doubt out of his head by force.

His hand paused where his finger's had tangled themselves deep in his hair, his eye catching something scurrying along his arm. The little hamster watched Chenle from his favorite perch just above his wrist and Chenle felt his gaze soften.

"Thank you," he told the hamster as he extracted his hand and returned it to resting on his desk. He had to remember the reason why he was going through all of this agony. It would be worth it in the end, of that he had absolutely no doubt.

Still though, he was hesitating. Everything he was about to do was new and unknown and Chenle felt his breath catch just at the thought of how scary it would be. On his bed, he head his phone buzz with an incoming message and an idea came to mind. Biting his lip, Chenle reached out to fish his phone from his blankets and opened it with a quick swipe. He had to scroll a bit to find the number in his contacts and Chenle made a mental note to contact his friend more often, and not just when he was halfway to a nervous breakdown.

His friend picked up on the third ring.

"Chenle? What's up?"

"Renjun-ge, I need your help."

* * *

Jisung ran a hand through his hair as he glared down at the flashcards spread across his table. Maybe if he glared at them hard enough they would start making sense. Groaning, Jisung let his head fall forward, narrowly missing his double dark hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and toffee sprinkles. He was starting to regret going to Renjun-hyung for help.

A month ago, around the time Chenle had started looking into universities to apply to, an idea had come to Jisung. A wonderful idea really, but one that he definitely was not prepared to go through with yet. He had enlisted Renjun's help to prepare for said idea. Renjun's part of the plan was very simple, all he had to do was tutor Jisung in mandarin two nights a week so that in a years time he would (hopefully) be semi-fluent in the language.

Honestly it was something Jisung had been meaning to do for a while now, even before his idea. Chenle had picked up Korean so quickly compared to Jisung with mandarin, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little embarrassed by his continued struggle with picking up his soulmate's mother tongue. Chenle was always very clear that Jisung could come to him for help any time he needed, but Jisung had been going to him for help for years and he had a stupid insecure idea that maybe Chenle was getting tired of it.

An opportunity had presented itself in the form of Huang Renjun; a foreign transfer from China who also happen to be Jisung's friend's soulmate. Really, he'd be a fool to pass up such a wonderful chance.

Which led to Jisung's current predicament. Renjun, for all his shy smiles and sweet teasing, was a demon. An actual real life demon who's only purpose in life was to torture Jisung with conjunctions and pronunciations. To summarize: Renjun was a very strict teacher.

Thumping his forehead against a complex series of characters, Jisung let out a second groan. He was about to let out a third when the chair across from him scraped across the tile floor.

"Should I call an ambulance?" Jisung looked up at the amused tone of one Na Jaemin. One of Renjun's soulmates, and Jisung's long-time torturer.

"Go away Hyung," he moaned, "I wanna die in peace." Jaemin set his own drink, some unholy concoction of caffeine and more caffeine, on the café table and leaned over to snatch up a few of the flash cards.

"Hmmmmmm," he drew out the sound, squinting and turning the flashcard upside down before looking up at the younger boy with a wide grin. "Yup! I got nothing."

Huffing, Jisung pulled himself upright again and began gathering up the cards, having resigned to not getting any more studying done now that Jaemin had arrived. He loved the older, he really did, but he wasn't exactly the best study buddy. Oh well, Jisung had invited him to try the new café so he couldn't really complain. As much as Jisung complained about Jaemin, he enjoyed spending time with the boy. He was a good listener and an even better conversationalist. Jisung was naturally shy, and Jaemin just made talking easy.

Jaemin's talked about university and how his soulmate's were doing, and Jisung told him about how high school was going now that all his close friend's had abandoned him. Eventually their conversation landed on Jisung's soulmate. Jaemin had always made a point to ask Jisung about Chenle, being the overly romantic sap that he was, but ever since they'd found out that Renjun and Chenle knew each other that interest had jumped to new heights.

"Has he decided on a university yet?" Jisung made a face at the question, the same one he had heard every second day for the past month.

"Not yet," he sighed, "He say's he's narrowed it down and he's started to write up his applications but he won't tell me which one he's hoping for."

Jaemin frowned, "Isn't it getting kind of late? If he doesn't hurry he'll miss application deadlines."

"I know! That's why I'm so worried!"

Smirking, Jaemin ruffled Jisung's hair, pulling away just in time to dodge Jisung's swatting hand. "It's cute you're so worried about him," he snickered. Jisung just scowled in response. He was worried about Chenle, it was his soulmate's future after all and Jisung didn't want anything to get in the way of Chenle's success or happiness. It didn't help that the older boy's hesitation made his own plan much harder, or at the very least delayed it.

Sighing again, Jisung took a long sip of his hot chocolate. It wasn't like he could do anything about it, so there wasn't much point in worrying. Not that it really made him feel any better.

* * *

Chenle grinned when his laptop screen switched back to showing Jisung's face. The two had opted to watch a movie together for their bi-weekly date night, and although Chenle had enjoyed it, he liked being able to talk to Jisung face to face (through a computer). This wasn't anything new, Chenle thought Jisung was adorable and had since they had first met each other years before, but lately he felt like that longing to see the younger was only growing. Maybe it was the fact that it was coming up on their fourth anniversary of finding each other, or maybe it was that Chenle needed reassurance that he was making the right choice, and seeing Jisung's face helped him to remember that this was what he wanted.

"Have you gotten any replies yet," Jisung asked, and Chenle forced himself to bring his attention back from where it was wandering to Jisung's adorable heart-shaped lips.

"Um," he said, very eloquently. "A few, but most of them are sending out replies starting next week I think? I want to wait until I've gotten them all back before I accept anything."

Jisung frowned, and Chenle had a sudden moment of déjà vu has he watched the other boy's mouth pull down into a pout. It was as cute as the day they first met and Chenle felt his heart squeeze a little at the sight.

"I guess that makes sense," it wasn't what Jisung really wanted to say, Chenle had known the boy long enough to recognize when he was lying. He could only hope that Jisung wasn't half as good at reading him.

They talked for a while longer, neither of them really ready to say goodnight yet, and Chenle did his best to steer the conversation away from topics of the future. He hated lying to Jisung, especially when he could tell how worried the younger was about Chenle's supposed hesitancy about his University choice. The first time Jisung had started asking over the topic Chenle had panicked, he had second guessed his plan and almost told Jisung everything right then. Afterwards he had almost started to avoid Jisung, thinking that the less opportunities Jisung had to ask the questions the less Chenle would have to lie. That plan had lasted half a day and even then Chenle had been texting Jisung only slightly less than normal.

So yes, Chenle had a lot of regrets at the moment, but the soft smile pulling Jisung's lips upward as he said goodnight in mandarin, and the sleepy blink of his eyes that always radiated such warmth when Chenle said the same made helped to remind him of why he was going through this.

And later on, when Chenle couldn't sleep, he would open up his laptop and click the bookmarked tab that brought him to Jisung's YouTube channel. The channel he made specifically to upload his dance videos so Chenle would stop pestering him to send the videos in their chat room. And he would watch his soulmate twist and spin across the practice room floor in an imitation of the hamster Chenle had watched frolic up and down his arms since he was barely a year old. He would watch Jisung perform routines and freestyle until his eyes grew heavy and the squeeze in his heart had loosened enough that he felt like he could breath again. And when he would lie down to sleep, his little hamster would scurry its way up Chenle's shoulder, and he would swear he could hear it whispering to him, and telling him that thing's would be ok.

* * *

Jisung felt frustrated. He was frustrated with a lot of thing's right now, namely with the fact that Chenle had yet to choose which university he planned to go to. He wasn't frustrated with Chenle, Jisung wasn't sure it was possible for him to be truly mad at the older boy, but it was making Jisung's life a lot harder.

Because Jisung needed to know what university Chenle would be going to so he could make sure his grades he would need to also be accepted. What's more, when he looked into applying for a school visa, one of the questions they had asked was what university Jisung was planning to attend and how could Jisung answer that question when he didn't even know himself?

Letting out his breath in a long sigh, Jisung closed his current tab on international study preparation and clicked instead to the almost-permanently open tab with Chenle's YouTube channel. The older boy had made it a few years ago, around the same time Jisung had made his own channel but had been too shy to really start posting anything. Chenle had decided to make a channel too, which had helped Jisung to feel more comfortable sharing his own videos. It had also helped Jisung to remember that the whole reason they had started their channels was for each other.

Selecting one of his most watched videos, Jisung let the sound of his soulmate's voice wash over him as he curled himself deeper under his blankets. He sighed again, turning himself to face the wall as his thought's fell back into their almost constant spiral these past few weeks. Usually this song cheered him up, but it didn't seem to be working today. Instead, Jisung felt himself sinking deeper into his feeling of frustration. He really wanted this, going to university with Chenle, but things didn't seem to be working out and he couldn't help but think that he was running out of time.

* * *

"I'm making a mistake."

Chenle heard a long suffering sigh come from his phone and looked up from where he was trying to sort through his shirts.

"You're not making a mistake Chenle," Renjun said as slowly as if he were explaining to a child, "And even if you were, it's too late to change your mind now."

Chenle scoffed, "What do you mean?" He asked, "It's perfectly acceptable to demand your taxi turn around when you're already halfway to the airport. Isn't that how all big decisions in life are supposed to be made?"

"Hey!" Chenle laughed at the embarrassment in Renjun's voice, the older boy no doubt remembering his own escapades with his soulmates the year before. He let Renjun continue to defend his past actions while Chenle turned back to his shirts. Really, why did he have so many?

Eventually, Chenle moved on from his shirts to other things, and before long he was finished. He said goodbye to Renjun, knowing he didn't have much time left before he had to leave, and took a look around his room. His walls, a little more baren than usual, looked somehow sad as Chenle sat on his bed. The same bed he had slept in since he had grown too big for the toddler bed his parent's had since given to his brother for Chenle's nephew. His desk, too, sat empty, Chenle's electronics already packed away into his duffle bag. By the door, Two large suitcases stood ready, Chenle's old school backpack propped against them.

'This is it' he thought. Renjun was right, he couldn't change his mind now.

"Chenle!" He heard his mom yell from downstairs, "It's almost time to go, if we leave late you'll miss your flight." Chenle took a deep breath, standing up from the bed and moving over to his bags. This was it. Ready or not, there would be no looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo this was supposed to be the last chapter.... but it ended up being so long I decided to split it into two chapters instead. So there will be one more chapter next week! As always thank you all for reading and for leaving kudos/comments. My readers are my biggest motivation to keep writing and I love any and all feedback.
> 
> Have a wonderful day <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter here we go!
> 
> Korean  
>  _Mandarin_

Jisung tried not to sulk as he followed Jaemin around the back of the theater, the older boy's hand latched firmly onto Jisung's limp wrist. Walking ahead of both of them was Jaemin's two boyfriends who seemed to be having a private conversation, not that Jisung was really paying attention. He didn't at all care what the three soulmates had to say to each other, especially not after they had all abandoned him to suffer through high school alone while they lived their best lives together at university. And especially not when his communication with his own soulmate had been so limited lately.

Ok, so maybe he was sulking a bit.

But could anyone blame him? Jisung had spent the last year and a half planning to surprise Chenle by getting into a Chinese university, preferably the university Chenle himself was going to. He had done the research, he had been saving up, he had even gotten extra Mandarin lessons from Renjun! But here he was, the end of his grade 11 year, only months before he would have to start applying and far too late to have any chance of bringing his grades up to meet any university's standards, and Chenle had not breathed so much as a hint of what university he was going to.

Jisung almost wanted to give up. The whole plan felt hopeless and Jisung was losing confidence fast. Maybe his friends had noticed this as well. He hadn't exactly been vocal about his plans, Renjun was the only one who really knew everything and that was only because he had refused to tutor Jisung without a good reason, but they had all seemed to cling to Jisung a bit more in the past weeks. Like right now, with all three of them insisting on walking Jisung to the performers entrance a whole hour before the start of the dance club's year end recital. Jisung could understand Jeno coming, as he would likely be sticking around to catch up with old friends, but Jaemin and Renjun didn't know anyone from the club.

Coming up to their destination, Jeno and Renjun fell back to walk with the other two, keeping them close as they made their way into the crowded hallways backstage. Jisung's dressing room was down a short flight of stairs, and Jeno hung the clothing bag with Jisung's costumes on a conveniently placed rack.

"Well, here we are," Renjun said, looking curiously around at the chaos of a dozen boys running through choreography and doing their hair. "Jaemin and I are going to get a coffee before the show starts, you guys want anything?"

Jisung shook his head, thanking Renjun for the offer and giving Jaemin a small wave when he promised they'd be watching from the audience. As if he hadn't been watching from the audience every year since Jisung's first dance show.

Time moved fast after that, with Jeno soon leaving to find his seat and Jisung doing the final touches on his makeup before the call for the first performance. Jisung was in three performances that year, a group hip hop piece, a contemporary number with his entire class that ran well over seven minutes long, and a solo that he would be performing in the final act. A month ago, Jisung had been over the moon to have been chosen for the solo performance, a spot that was highly coveted, but now he just felt tired.

His group numbers went by without problems, and before long Jisung was getting changed into his costume for his solo. Pulling on the sheer black dress shirt he had borrowed from Jaemin, Jisung tried to get himself into the mindset he had been in while choreographing this dance. He had gotten the idea a year ago, while listening to one of Chenle's cover's. The song itself was in Mandarin, and Jisung had even considered using Chenle's recording of the song but had never found the courage to ask.

Jisung fixed his hair in the mirror before slipping off his running shoes, his bare feet curling against the cold of the floor. In another minute he was called up to backstage, and Jisung watched from the wings as one of the upperclassmen danced a vibrant solo of street and pop. He wondered if they had scheduled Jisung's number after this one purposefully, to give more of an emphasis on the different styles.

The hip hop solo ended abruptly, with a flash of colour and an exaggerated pose, and suddenly Jisung was making his way onto the black stage. He took his starting position at the front of stage left, sitting so close to the edge he could have let his legs dangle into the audience. He took a breath. The lights came on seconds before the music, and Jisung looked out over the audience.

And almost missed his cue.

Because there, standing at the very back of the theater, was Chenle. Half a beat late, Jisung rolled backwards onto his feet, letting his limbs move to the song as his brain scrambled to catch up. Chenle was here, in Korea. Why had he not said anything to Jisung? The song crooned in a bittersweet melody, but Jisung was fighting to keep the smile off his face. His movements grew more confident. Chenle was here. He was here, in Korea, in the audience, and he was watching Jisung dance to the solo he had choreographed while thinking of his soulmate.

The dance was supposed to be bittersweet, it was supposed to tell the story of two people longing for each other while apart. Now, as Jisung threw himself into a barrel jump, he couldn't hear the song as anything other than elated.

The rest of the song passed with Jisung hardly paying attention. He held on to the sight of Chenle as much as he could, letting his body flow with his soaring emotions. In what felt like a blink of an eye, Jisung was already rolling forward into his ending pose. Coming to a stop at the edge of the stage opposite to where he had started, Jisung was supposed to let his eyes drift down to his lap. Instead he kept his gaze forward, clinging to the sight of his soulmate as he caught his breath. From across the theater, he could see Chenle watching him just as intently. The lights went dark, and jisung forced himself to stand and walk calmly into the wings.

Jisung cursed as he was stopped from leaving backstage by his dance teacher. There was only three performances between his solo and the end of the show, meaning Jisung would have to stay backstage as the rest of the student's filed in behind him for the final bow. It would be at least twenty minutes before he would be able to leave.

If his classmates could sense how impatient Jisung was, they didn't say anything, even as he shifted from side to side during the teacher's speeches and accepted a recognition award for something they had announced when Jisung was trying to find Chenle again in the audience. The moment they were dismissed back to the dressing rooms Jisung was shouldering his way through the crowd. He stopped by his dressing room just long enough to shove his feet into shoes before he was out again and running.

The entrance to the theater was packed with parents and friends when Jisung got there, but his height easily allowed him to scan the crowd for familiar faces. Looking around frantically, Jisung spotted Jaemin's distinctly pink coloured hair first and pushed his way towards it. He was still a few steps away when he saw him.

Up closer, Chenle looked tired and a little disheveled, as if he had come right after waking up. His clothes, though stylish, were rumpled, and his hair was tousled and awkwardly parted to one side. Jisung thought he looked like an angel.

Chenle still hadn't noticed him yet, and maybe Jisung should have called out to him but the words seemed to get caught in his throat at the sight of the shorter boy's smile. With all the grace of a dancer who had just finished three stages, Jisung slammed into Chenle, wrapping his arms around his soulmate as they both just barely managed to avoid toppling over onto the floor.

* * *

One second Chenle was being introduced to Jaemin and Jeno by a strangely smug looking Renjun, the next he was falling sideways as long arms wrapped around his shoulders and his face was pressed into soft fabric. They only narrowly avoided falling to the floor, and as Chenle found himself enveloped entirely in Jisung's embrace all he could think about was how tall Jisung was. The last time they had seen each other in person they had definitely been the same height.

'What else don't I know about him?"

The thought should have made him feel insecure. Chenle knew there was probably a hundred things they didn't know about each other yet, despite knowing each other for so many years. Instead it made him feel almost giddy, because he could know. And he would. He was here in Korea and he and Jisung would have the rest of their lives to learn about each other.

He was pulled from his thoughts when his soulmate leaned back, his hand's gripping Chenle's shoulders and he stared down as Chenle with wide eyes.

"Why are you here?" Jisung blurted after a moment of staring, "How are you here? How long are you–" He cut off when Chenle started laughing, the emotions bubbling up from his chest the product of an exhausting plane ride and months and months of carefully guarded secrets.

"Chenle?" The shorter boy could hear the concern in his soulmate's voice, and no wonder when he finally see's Chenle again after years only for his soulmate to burst into hysterical laughter.

"Four years," Chenle manages through his giggles, a grin splitting his face as he looks up at Jisung. "Four years at least, more if I decide to take a gap year or something."

There is a moment of realization on Jisung's face, and Chenle finds himself smiling even harder at the expression.

"Then– you… really?"

Chenle nods and his hand's move up to pull Jisung's down from where they were still on his shoulders, weaving their fingers together between them instead. "Seoul university. I got accepted for both management and music."

It's almost comical, the look of sheer joy on the younger boy's face. And in the next minute when it melts into confusion. Pouting, Jisung turned his head to glare at Renjun who had, at some point, begun snickering from behind his protective wall of two tall boyfriends.

"Hyuuuuunnnngggg," Jisung let out an impressive whine that Chenle could only describe as adorable, though he got the feeling Jisung was trying to sound angry. Renjun, to Chenle's growing confusion, doubled over as his laughter turned to loud cackles. At least he wasn't alone, since Jaemin and Jeno looked equally as confused.

Through his laughter, Renjun managed to explain that Jisung had come to him months ago begging for extra Mandarin lessons because he had this big plan to get into a Chinese university to surprise Chenle.

Now it was Chenle's turn to be shocked, and he felt tears well up in his eyes at the thought of Jisung spending so much time and effort just to be with him. His tears spilled over and Chenle sniffled, his hand's squeezing Jisung's.

Jisung looked over at the sound, and a look of horror overtook his features as he began fussing over his smaller soulmate. Chenle could only distantly hear Jisung asking him what was wrong through his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. Chenle would blame his exhaustion for his poor emotional control, but he really, really just wanted to hug Jisung for the next few weeks. He had spent the entire year agonizing over this decision, pushing down his emotions and trying to ignore how hurt Jisung had sounded every time Chenle had lied to him and Chenle was just, so tired, and so ready to go home and take a nap and wake up and not have to worry about video dates and texting because he'll be in the same city as Jisung and he can just go over to his house.

"I love you," Chenle wailed, "I love you so much and it was so hard keeping this a secret from you."

For the second time in under ten minutes, Jisung wrapped his arms around Chenle, and Chenle marveled at the fact that they could do that now. Just hug each other. His hands came up to grip at the back of his Jisung's shirt as he buried his face into his soulmate's chest. He was definitely getting snot on Jisung's clothes, but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

"I love you too," Jisung's whispered, his arms squeezing Chenle tighter. It was a perfect moment, Chenle enjoying the feeling of being held, enjoying the vibrations Jisung's voice made when he spoke. All these new sensations and thing's he had never known about Jisung before. There were so many things here that Chenle had never known, had never experienced before, and he couldn't wait to experience more.

'It's like a story,' Chenle thought, 'like a fairy tale.' All those years Chenle had spent dreaming of a handsome prince who would sweep him off for an adventure in a far off land. Well, here Chenle was, in a far off land about to embark on his own adventure. In the arms of his very own prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who's enjoyed reading this, and to everyone who left kudos and comments. I hope you liked the ending!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This fic will be uploaded once a week, hopefully on Wednesdays depending on my work schedule. If you enjoy it I recommend checking out 'Finding the way back home' by Neko_ryn as they are based in the same universe! Stay safe everyone and happy 2021!


End file.
